Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min has been named in South Korea’s Asian Cup squad as coach Jurgen Klinsmann aims to end the country’s 64-year continental title drought. Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, who scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season against Brentford, was also included in the 26-man squad for the tournament, beginning in Qatar on January 12.
Captain Son will lead a squad featuring Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in.
South Korea, who haven’t won the Asian Cup since 1960, are determined to secure the title this time, according to Klinsmann.
The team is drawn in Group E and will contend with Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain in the initial round, looking to improve on their quarter-final defeat in the 2019 tournament to eventual champions Qatar in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea squad:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab/KSA), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), Song Bum-keun (Shonan Bellmare/JPN)
Defenders: Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich/GER), Jung Seung-hyun (Ulsan), Kim Ju-sung (FC Seoul), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford/ENG), Seol Young-woo (Ulsan), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), Lee Ki-je (Suwon), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk)
Midfielders: Park Yong-woo (Al Ain/UAE), Hwang In-beom (Red Star Belgrade/SRB), Hong Hyun-seok (Gent/BEL), Lee Soon-min (Gwangju), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz/GER), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Son Heung-min (Tottenham/ENG), Jeong Woo-yeong (Stuttgart/GER), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves/ENG), Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk), Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic/SCO)
Strikers: Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland/DEN), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Celtic/SCO)